| Dorothea | Daphne | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | gift of God | Laurel |
| Origin | greek | greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | dor-ə-THEE-ə | DAF-nee |
| Syllables | 4 | 2 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1886 |
| Peak year | 1920 (1,110) | 2025 (1,740) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 1,740 |
| Trend | Vintage | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Dorothea | Daphne |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 464 | 7,562 |
| 2010s | 345 | 7,768 |
| 2000s | 210 | 5,126 |
| 1990s | 299 | 2,519 |
| 1980s | 478 | 2,699 |
| 1970s | 768 | 4,827 |
| 1960s | 2,326 | 6,933 |
| 1950s | 3,008 | 2,789 |
| 1940s | 3,111 | 1,321 |
| 1930s | 4,180 | 764 |
| 1920s | 8,518 | 1,057 |
| 1910s | 7,750 | 498 |
| 1900s | 1,810 | 162 |
| 1890s | 807 | 131 |
| 1880s | 347 | 26 |
From Greek Dorothea, combining doron 'gift' + theos 'God' — 'gift of God'. It is the exact reversal of the elements in Theodora/Theodore.
From Greek 'daphne' (δάφνη) meaning 'laurel, bay tree'. In myth the nymph Daphne was transformed into a laurel to escape Apollo.
Daphne is more popular than Dorothea today: about 1,740 US babies were given the name Daphne in 2025, compared with 0 named Dorothea.
Dorothea means gift of God (greek origin), while Daphne means Laurel (greek origin).
In US records, Dorothea first appears in 0 and Daphne in 1886, so Dorothea has the longer recorded history.